60th Annual Potomac Downriver Race!

On Saturday, May 16th, NORSA paddlers Steve and Adam joined 42 other whitewater paddlers in the 60th running of the Potomac Downriver Race. Starting in Mather's Gorge right below Rocky Island, the racers took off in groups of 5-6 down the Potomac River to the finish line at Sycamore Island. At a relatively slow level of 3.5 ft, the racers slogged through a fair bit of flatwater, however they still enjoyed some excitement navigating the DC whitewater staples of Wet Bottom, Maryland Chute, Yellow Falls, and Stubblefield Falls. The hot sun proved itself a greater burden than the rapids; fortunately The Sycamore Island Club hosted a refreshing post-race party.

Results:
Steve: 1:14:25; 13th overall; 3rd in class (K1 Short); 3rd in age group.
Adam: 1:15:23; 16th overall; 10th in class (K1 Long); 4th in age group.

Start of the first wave.
Steve: #42 (third from right).
Adam: #39 (fourth from right)

Just Another NORSA 5K post

 April 11, 2015 - A clear and sunny day greeted Steven S for the Rev3 Adventure Spring Thaw Trail Series at the Greens at Willowsford, part of the Willowsford Conservancy near Aldie, VA. Rev3 Adventures puts on a number of trail run/mountain bike/paddle combo races and the Spring Thaw series was made up of three events in northern Virginia, with separate trail run and mountain bike races on the same course.  Racers that compete in both events can accumulate points toward an overall cup.

The 5K was a relatively small race.  Steven S had initially planned to run the 10K but ended up signing up for the 5k only due to IT band problems that kept him from running for a couple months.  The course had a little bit of everything – hills, tight turns, fields, mud, gravel, woods, logs, rocks, etc.  Pretty soon Steven S was all alone on the course.  The last half mile was uphill and then the finish came abruptly out of a clearing in the woods.  Turns out he had outrun the rest of the 5K field to a NORSA-rific victory!

A podium finish in one of these races gets a stamped cedar race medal, a souvenir beer glass, and a box of energy bars.  The post-race fare was a little better than the typical shenanigans, offering fresh made chili and draft beer from Old Busthead brewery.

Willowsford is kind of near Dulles and not to hard to get to for future NORSA excursions.  There may be interest in other Rev3 events in the area, such as summer night “glow runs” and fall trail races.  The adventure run/bike/paddle races pick up again next spring.

Results

2015 Cheat Downriver Race!

On May 1, 2015, veteran NORSA paddlers Steven and Adam, joined by NORSA newcomer Tom A, participated in the annual Cheat Downriver Race.  Billed as the largest mass-start downriver race (thus gaining the nickname, the "Massacre-ence"), over 160 paddlers raced down the 11 mile Cheat Canyon en mass, over and through continuous class III-IV rapids, including the notorious "Big Nasty," "High Falls," "Colliseum", and "Pete Morgan."

Adam:

The NORSA team had been training all winter long for this day, braving 20 degree days on a frozen Potomac river, high spring flows, and long weekend drives out to the Cheat and N. Branch of the Potomac.  Having had only run the Cheat once before, the NORSA veterans teamed up with Liquid Adventures' "Cheat Training" - a rite of passage for many DC paddlers - for weekday evening attaining and weekend downriver racing practices.

Steve:

The spring of 2015 was fortunately beset with weekly rains that kept the rivers flowing swiftly.  Come race day, the Cheat was at its lowest level all season.  At 5 PM, the racers lined up at the old washed out bridge in Albright, WV.  The NORSA racers were startled by the horn signaling the start of the race, and had to work their way up the pack.  As soon as they entered Decision rapid, the team was well on their way - gaining ground on the pack and giving up few spots for the remainder of the race.  The lower water level led to a slower race, with some changes in the rapids - BigNasty wasn't so big and nasty; Pete Morgan featured a new, giant hole in the run-out.

Tom:

An hour and a half and 11 miles later, after a couple flips, some unintentional surfing, and one swim, Team NORSA crossed the finish line under the Jenkinsburg Bridge, all within a few minutes of each other and comfortably in the top 1/3 of the pack, with a 10th place finish for TeamNORSA.  The racers celebrated with a rousing post-race party back in Albright, and as of the next morning were already looking forward to next year's MASSACRE-ENCE!

Results!